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A comparison of selected ethological aspects of chosen tortoise species
BLAŽEK, David
In this thesis we studied individuals of 4 species of tortoises, often bred in captivity genus Testudo species T. hermanni, T. graeca, T. horsfieldi and T. marginata, in possession of the ZOO Hluboká nad Vltavou. We studied and analyzed their morphological parameters, size measurements, their weight and biometrical indexes, wheather they follow described sexual dimorphism as it was found out in non-captive populations. We also studied and analyzed their food preferences to find out differences between sexes and between keeping individual animal versus a group, by giving them a choice between 4 types of food (the red cabbage, leaves of dandelion and clover, and carrot roots). Sexual dimorphism displayed by different body proportions was most apparent in Testudo hermanni. In specimen from the ZOO of Testudo horsfieldi a T. graeca was sexual dimorphism less prominent. Measured Testudo females from the ZOO were in lowest, approximate and highest values bigger and heavier than males of the same species, which mirrors data from other studies of non-captive populations. Males are quicker to get to and quicker to start eating food than females. Males preffered red cabbage and carrot while the females clover and dandelion. The amplitude of preference change between individual and group experiment was not correlated by individual´s sex, species or size. We found out no apparent hierarchical enforcement from the side of faster or bigger specimen in the feeding process.
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